Named by US in Pannun case: Two days later, court cancels non-bailable warrant against ex-R&AW officer
On Wednesday, Yadav’s lawyers filed an application stating that the NBW was issued while a lawyers' strike was underway, which is why they could not attend the hearing on Monday.
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Vikash Yadav was arrested on December 18, 2023, by the Delhi Police Special Cell. (File Photo)Two days after a Delhi court issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Vikash Yadav, the former R&AW officer who was named by the US as a conspirator in an alleged plot to kill pro-Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the court cancelled it on Wednesday.
Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Partap Singh Laler of Patiala House Courts had issued the NBW on Monday, noting that Yadav had failed to appear before the court in a case of alleged kidnapping and extortion despite repeated calls. “Issue NBWs against accused… and notice to his surety under Section 491 Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (the procedure when bond has been forfeited) for October 17,” he had said.
On Wednesday, Yadav’s lawyers filed an application stating that the NBW was issued while a lawyers’ strike was underway, which is why they could not attend the hearing on Monday.
ASJ Laler then said the NBW against Yadav was cancelled in view of the facts stated in the application moved by his lawyers. He also restored the bail bond surety and directed Yadav to appear in person or through his counsel on October 17, which is the next date of hearing.
Yadav was arrested on December 18, 2023, by the Delhi Police Special Cell after an FIR was filed against him on a complaint from a Rohini resident, accusing him of extortion and kidnapping, and linking him to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The arrest came three weeks after Yadav’s name was listed in the Pannun case by US authorities. Yadav was later released on bail even as a chargesheet was filed by the police.
Yadav had been moving applications before the Delhi court seeking exemption from appearance citing a “threat to his life”, which were approved. But he did not move a fresh application on Monday, prompting the court to take action.
Lawyers in Delhi have been protesting against a notification issued by Lieutenant-Governor V K Saxena, allowing police to virtually present evidence in courts from stations. In a circular issued last Thursday, the Coordination Committee of All District Court Bar Associations in Delhi said all lawyers would abstain from work and those seen in courts would be penalised. Wednesday marked the fifth day of the strike.
On Monday, Yadav’s alleged associate Abdullah Khan had moved an application before the court for extending the release of his passport, claiming his father was diagnosed with blood cancer for which he had to visit Dubai, Singapore and the UK for medical opinion. “In view of submissions made, extension of release of passport is allowed till next date of hearing on October 17,” the court said on Wednesday.
A third accused, Dubai-based Jalaluddin alias Sameer, was arrested on July 1 for his alleged role in the kidnapping-extortion case. He is also out on bail. A fourth person, Bikram Gogoi, has moved an anticipatory bail plea in Patiala House Courts saying that he knew Jalaluddin since his school days in Delhi, but wasn’t aware of his criminal antecedents.
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